Language Barrier
by BuzzCat
Summary: True love doesn't always need words, but it can certainly help. When Belle knocks over a potion and can no longer communicate with Rumple, life for the pair of them gets a tad more complicated. Written as a late addition to the 2014 Fluffapalooza on Tumblr.


It was tough. When Rumple had secured for himself a housekeeper, he hadn't planned on falling in love with her. He hadn't planned on marrying his beautiful Belle in this new world where the Savior had done her saving. And he hadn't planned on Belle spilling that potion from the old world and changing her language.

That day, he had come home and hung his coat on the hook, peering around the corner to see Belle standing in the kitchen. He had grinned and appeared by her side in a plume of smoke, snaking an arm around her waist. Belle smiled at him and he leaned in to kiss her, just a brush of the lips,

"Hello sweetheart." He said. Belle had smiled back at him, though it looked a little confused. Then she'd said something in absolute gibberish. Rumple had cocked his head,

"What?" he'd said. Belle had frowned and tried again, but to no avail. Through some elaborate pointing and gesturing, Rumple had deduced that Belle had, while cleaning, knocked over a potion he'd forgotten he had and completely changed her language when she accidentally came into contact with the liquid while wiping it up. They had no clue what the other was saying

That was almost two weeks ago and Rumplestiltskin was still no closer to finding a cure. The language barrier wasn't getting any easier to get around; he had no idea what language she was speaking, if it was a language at all, and some intricacy in the potion had prevented Belle from learning her old language again. It was difficult, but they were adjusting.

Rumpelstiltskin lay in bed, his mind whirring as Belle slept beside him. He still loved her, even without understanding her, but this wasn't something that could go on forever. They were both suffering the strains of trying to communicate with pantomimes and pictures. Belle had almost gone to tears the day before over trying to ask him for a specific book from a different country. If Rumple was honest with himself, most days he wasn't doing much better. He had never appreciated just how much idle conversation happened between them until it was gone. It wasn't nearly as bad as when he had believed Belle to be dead, but it was far from what he had become accustomed to.

He rolled over and wrapped his arms around Belle and she snuggled closer to him in her sleep. There was a tiny smile on her face as she sighed softly. Rumple smiled. They would be okay.

The next day, Rumplestiltskin came downstairs and found Belle at the kitchen table, one hand holding her head and the other tracing invisible shapes on the table. Rumple stepped into the room after hesitating a moment in the doorway,

"Belle?" He was thankful that names were the same in every language. Belle turned and looked up at him, biting her lip. Rumple frowned and his brow furrowed, doing his best to convey a questioning face. Belle sighed and stood, her hands fidgeting. She walked up to him very slowly. Rumple's concern grew with each step. What could possibly have made her this nervous? She reached into a pocket hidden in the folds of her skirt and withdrew a plastic stick. With a trembling hand, she brought it up to eye level. There was a display circle on it, slightly indented and showing two purple lines. Rumple shook his head; he knew it was something significant, just from Belle's demeanor, but that was as specific as he could get. Belle let out a frustrated sigh, a little wrinkle appearing in her forehead. She spoke, but Rumpelstiltskin still didn't understand. It had been worth a shot. Belle made a circle with her arms and held it out from her abdomen. After making sure Rumple saw that motion, Belle moved her arms, holding them like she was cradling...

...a baby.

Rumpelstiltskin hurried with his cane to a drawer and pulled out a pen and paper. He had to know if he understood this right. There could be no confusion, not now. He drew stick figures, first himself and a cane, then Belle with a swollen belly and a tiny stick figure within. He pointed at the picture then pointed at Belle. She nodded, still biting her lip. Rumpelstiltskin's excitement faded. If they were having a baby, wouldn't she be more excited? Back when they could still talk, there had been a late night conversation about children where they had agreed that they were both in favor of them, although no definite timeline had been established. Belle pointed at him and made a circle with her thumb and pointer finger with the other three sticking out, an understood sign for_ you okay?_ When Rumple didn't respond, too shocked with the development, she slowly took his hand and pressed it to her middle, waiting for a reaction. That shook him out of his thougts and he grinned, the kind of face-splitting grin that had always been infectious. He picked Belle up and twirled her around in the kitchen, both of them laughing. He was terrified at the idea of a child, deep down he knew he was, but he was going to do better this time. He was determined to do better. When his leg twinged just a little too much, he set her down and hugged her close. Belle snuggled into his chest, saying with a sigh,

"Rumple..." Rumplestiltskin hugged her close. He didn't need words to understand that emotion.

Eight months later...

It was done. After nine months of pregnancy and twelve hours of labor, Belle had given birth to a baby girl. Even without understanding her specific words, he understood the gist of both her screaming at him while in labor and the murmured loved directed at their child. Belle bent down and kissed the little girl, a finger tucking a curl of brown hair behind the little girl's ear. Rumplestiltskin felt a warm wave of love wash over him. There was a new member of his little family. A little girl for him to spoil, for him to love. A new opportunity for someone else to exploit, but he was not going to let that happen. No one was going to use his family as leverage. He'd make sure of that. But those were vengeful thoughts, not appropriate for this place. He stepped forward, kissing both wife and daughter,

"I love you." he said, even though he knew Belle wouldn't understand him. Her head shot up and she stared at him. Very slowly, with a rocky voice, she said,

"Say it again." Rumple's widened, mind flying even as he said,

"I. Love. You." He couldn't believe it. After almost a year, it was done. The potion's effect was gone. Belle was crying, although a giant smile proved that they were happy tears,

"I love you too. Both of you." She looked down at their daughter, and suddenly Rumpelstiltskin understood. While the love between Belle and him was strong, this new love was powerful. This kind of love involved a mother, father, and child. This was a different kind of true love, perhaps a stronger kind. With this true love, any curse could be broken.


End file.
